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Some of the mice drank or ate water or chow laced with epicatechin and ranon a running wheel for two hours daily.

Other mice ran on a runningwheel but didn't get epicatechin. Another groupB of mice had no runningwheel and got no epicatechin in their food or water.

After six weeks, the researchers tried to train the mice to navigate awatery maze. The mice were supposed to find a hidden platform in the mazewithin 40 seconds.

The mice that consumed epicatechin did better at memorizing the maze thanthe mice that got no epicatechin. The mice that consumed epicatechin and alsoran on their running wheels had the best results of all.

The findings suggest that epicatechin may help spatial memory, especiallywhen coupled with exercise, note Gage and colleagues.

Exactly how epicatechin does that isn't clear. But the researchers foundsigns of blood vessel growth in the brains of the mice that consumedepicatechin. Better blood flow to memory-related brain areas may have helpedthe mice remember the maze.

One of the researchers works forB Mars Inc., which makes cocoa productsand supplied the study's epicatechin.B The study was funded by the DefenseAdvanced Research Products Agency.